Moving Beyond Corporate R&D – GE Style

Dr. Carlos J. Haertel, Managing Director, GE Global Research Center Europe shared his views on the roles of corporate R&D and the rationale for R&D partnerships at the recent World Innovation Conference in Cannes. Here you get the bullet points:

Roles of Corporate R&D

Reaching across disciplines

Spreading technology across the company

Specialized in tackling the New

Recruiting top technologists

Rationale for R&D partnerships

1. Cost

Leveraging resources, access government funding

2. Speed & Quality

Tapping into existing capabilities & expertise

3. Get to Market

Innovating along the value chain, tying in customers & suppliers

4. Creativity

fresh ideas, diverse perspectives, alternative business models

When Haertel talked about open innovation, he used the below image to emphasize that partnering and thus open innovation needs to go beyond the co-ideation phase in order to get the full benefits. I fully agree on this.